Kyodo News Digest: April 23, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 9 hours ago - 23:00 | All, Japan, World
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan to emphasize benefits of free trade to U.S. in tariff talks: PM
TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday that Japan will emphasize the importance of free trade in bilateral tariff negotiations with the United States, despite President Donald Trump pursuing his protectionist and growth-stifling "America First" policy.
During a one-on-one parliamentary debate with opposition party leaders, Ishiba said Japan will highlight its contributions through investment in the United States. This follows Trump's decision to impose tariffs in a bid to rectify what he sees as imbalanced state of trade.
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Japan ministers steer clear of war-linked Yasukuni during festival
TOKYO - None of the current members of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine during a three-day spring festival that ended Wednesday, partly due to diplomatic considerations.
Ishiba sent a ritual "masakaki" offering to the shrine on the first day of the festival, prompting a protest from China and disappointing South Korea. The neighboring countries see the Shinto shrine as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.
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Expo Osaka draws 1 million visitors in 11 days since opening
OSAKA - The number of visitors to the World Exposition in Osaka reached one million on Wednesday, in 11 days since its opening, the organizers said.
Speaking at an event to mark the milestone, Hiroyuki Ishige, secretary general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said the expo will be a good holiday destination for a "once in a lifetime" experience during the upcoming Golden Week season.
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2nd melted fuel sample retrieved from crippled Fukushima reactor
TOKYO - The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex said it retrieved the second sample of melted fuel Wednesday from one of the reactors hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami over a decade ago.
The debris extracted from the No. 2 reactor by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. is believed to weigh 3 grams or less, out of the estimated 880 tons remaining in the Nos. 1 to 3 units that melted down during the nuclear crisis that began in March 2011.
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Japan PM to make 4-day visit to Vietnam, Philippines from Sunday
TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to make a four-day trip from Sunday to Vietnam and the Philippines as part of Japan's summit diplomacy to maintain a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region, the government said Wednesday.
Japan has been focusing on building stronger ties with Southeast Asian nations, as U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked uncertainty over the global economic and security situation. Ishiba's visit follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent trip to the region.
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Japan's chief negotiator slammed for "MAGA" cap photo with Trump
TOKYO - The leader of Japan's main opposition party on Wednesday lambasted the country's chief negotiator on U.S. tariffs for taking a photo with President Donald Trump while wearing a red "Make America Great Again" cap presented to him in Washington.
Economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, who is responsible for the tariff issue, "crossed a line," said Noda, chief of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during a one-on-one parliamentary debate with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
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Japan carmakers aim to bounce back with new EVs at Shanghai show
SHANGHAI - Major Japanese automakers unveiled their latest electric vehicle models at the Shanghai motor show on Wednesday, hoping to bounce back in the Chinese market that has seen cutthroat competition with local carmakers amid a rapid shift toward new energy vehicles.
About 1,000 companies including auto parts makers are participating in the biennial show through May 2, one of the world's biggest auto exhibitions, at a time when a tit-for-tat tariff war between the United States and China has cast a shadow over the car industry.
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Judo: Japanese women aim to rebound from Olympic setback at worlds
TOKYO - After mustering only two medals at the Paris Olympics, the Japanese women's judo team faces a difficult road as it seeks to reassert its dominance at the world championships in June.
Japan's nine-woman contingent in Budapest will feature three world championship debutants and only one previous winner in Uta Abe, a shock second-round loser at last summer's Olympics, who will fight for her fifth world title at 52 kilograms.
Video: "Commons" joint pavilions popular among visitors at Osaka Expo
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Kyodo News Digest: June 11, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 12 minutes ago - 09:06 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- G7 leaders may skip joint declaration, 1st since 2014: Japan source TOKYO - The Group of Seven nations are likely to skip a joint statement at the end of an upcoming three-day summit in Canada, a Japanese government source said Tuesday, which would mark the first time since 2014 for the meeting to conclude without a consensus document. The move is apparently aimed at veiling internal divisions in the G7, known for its unity in tackling global challenges, as the leaders gather for their first in-person meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. ---------- Toyota proposes selling U.S. cars in Japan to promote tariff talks NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. has proposed to the government that it sell U.S.-made cars in Japan through its domestic dealership network, the company said in an online video. The proposal is intended to support Japan's trade negotiations with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariffs. Observers said increased imports of U.S.-made cars could help narrow the large U.S. trade deficit, a source of frustration for Trump. ---------- Japan ruling bloc OKs campaigning on cash handouts in summer election TOKYO - Japan's ruling parties agreed Tuesday to include cash handouts for households hit by rising prices in their platforms for this summer's House of Councillors election, senior lawmakers said. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition force, unveiled its election pledges Tuesday, highlighting a proposal to suspend the 8 percent consumption tax on food for at least one year, in sharp contrast with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which opposes tax cuts. ---------- China says 2 aircraft carriers conducted combat training in Pacific BEIJING - The Chinese military said Tuesday that its two aircraft carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, carried out combat training in the Western Pacific, calling it a routine exercise and not targeted at any specific country. Japan said Monday it had spotted the two Chinese aircraft carriers operating simultaneously in the Pacific for the first time, a move that has further fueled Tokyo's concerns over Beijing's military activities. ---------- U.S. intel chief speaks out against nuclear arms after Japan visit WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday posted a video message speaking about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II and called for a world without nuclear weapons. It is very unusual for an incumbent U.S. Cabinet member to publicly voice opposition to nuclear weapons. "It's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness. We must reject this path to nuclear war and work toward a world where no one has to live in fear of a nuclear holocaust," Gabbard said. ---------- Ex-Mongolia leader urges Japan lawmakers to end death penalty TOKYO - A former Mongolian president known for abolishing his country's death penalty urged Japanese lawmakers in a recent interview to take the same step despite the public's continued support for executions. "If you are a good politician, (and) if there are some bad practices, you have to go ahead and change public opinion," said Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who led the move to terminate capital punishment in Mongolia in 2017 after taking the post in 2009. ---------- Japan PM's adviser to visit South Korea for 60th anniversary event TOKYO - Akihisa Nagashima, a special adviser to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, is planning to visit Seoul for an event next week to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-South Korea diplomatic ties, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. South Korean government officials are also expected to attend the ceremony organized by the Japanese Embassy in Seoul next Monday, with the two nations expected to affirm efforts to develop their relations and deepen friendship and cooperation, according to the sources. ---------- TEPCO tweaks plan to restart reactors at central Japan nuclear plant TOKYO - Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., whose nuclear reactors have remained offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, plans to revise its strategy for restarting reactors in central Japan, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. TEPCO is now preparing to restart the No. 6 unit of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex in Niigata Prefecture, one of the world's largest nuclear power plants by output capacity, aiming to finish preparations in August, they said. Video: Rite at Ise Jingu shrine to transport sacred tree
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Toyota proposes selling U.S. cars in Japan to promote tariff talks
KYODO NEWS - 10 hours ago - 21:15 | All, World, Japan Toyota Motor Corp. has proposed to the government that it sell U.S.-made cars in Japan through its domestic dealership network, the company said in an online video. The proposal is intended to support Japan's trade negotiations with the United States over President Donald Trump's tariffs. Observers said increased imports of U.S.-made cars could help narrow the large U.S. trade deficit, a source of frustration for Trump. According to a video released on Monday, Chairman Akio Toyoda informed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during their May meeting that Toyota would be able to sell vehicles manufactured by U.S. automakers through its network of over 4,000 stores in Japan. The video also revealed Toyoda's willingness to consider reimporting U.S.-produced automobiles to Japan as an option. Under Trump's so-called reciprocal tariff regime, announced on April 2, nearly every nation in the world has been hit with a baseline duty of 10 percent, with Japan facing an additional country-specific tariff of 14 percent for a total rate of 24 percent. Japan, meanwhile, has been affected by Trump's extra 25 percent tariff on automobiles, along with other sector-specific levies imposed on national security grounds. Tokyo presented a package of proposals to Washington to reach a deal. Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's top tariff negotiator known as a close aide to Ishiba, is expected to visit the United States later this week for a sixth round of ministerial-level talks aimed at securing concessions over the series of tariffs. Related coverage: Japan, U.S. eye Ishiba-Trump summit in Canada on G7 margins Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
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U.S., China hold high-level trade talks with rare earths in focus
KYODO NEWS - 17 hours ago - 09:29 | World, All Senior U.S. and Chinese officials met in London on Monday, with a top economic adviser to President Donald Trump expecting the latest round of trade talks to result in Beijing promptly lifting its export controls on rare earth minerals. The second high-level meeting, following mid-May talks in Geneva, took place after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone last week, their first known direct communication since the U.S. president's inauguration for a nonconsecutive second term in January. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attended the talks, which could also continue Tuesday. The trio met with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, a longtime confidant of Xi who oversees economic affairs. On Monday, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, struck an optimistic note about the meeting's anticipated outcome. Hassett said in an interview with CNBC that the talks are likely to end with a "big, strong handshake." "Our expectation is that after the handshake, then export controls from the U.S. will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume, and then we can go back to negotiating smaller matters," he said. The 90-minute phone conversation between Trump and Xi on Thursday came after Washington and Beijing exchanged barbs over alleged violations of a preliminary agreement reached in Geneva. Under the deal, the two countries established a 90-day truce in their trade war and committed to stepping back from their respective triple-digit tariff rates. In the days leading up to his call with Xi, the Trump administration expressed frustration over China's slow removal of export controls on critical minerals used in high-tech products, accusing Beijing of failing to uphold the terms of the initial deal. China had criticized the Trump administration for imposing "discriminatory measures," including export control guidance on artificial intelligence chips and the revocation of visas for Chinese students studying in the United States. China's Commerce Ministry said Saturday that Beijing has approved a number of export license applications for rare earth-related items, citing global demand from industries such as robotics and new energy vehicles. However, it did not provide further details. China mines about 70 percent of the world's rare earths that are used in the production of smartphones, personal computers and vehicles. As part of retaliatory measures against high U.S. tariffs, Beijing in April introduced export controls on seven types of rare-earth minerals. Amid a tit-for-tat tariff war, Chinese exports to the United States in May fell 34.5 percent from a year earlier to $28.8 billion, while Chinese imports from the country dropped 18.1 percent to $10.8 billion, customs data of the Asian powerhouse showed Monday. Related coverage: Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks Japan, EU eye launch of "competitive alliance" scheme to boost trade Xi, Trump agree to new round of Sino-U.S. trade talks
